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Longtime Nebraska Sen. Chambers seeks end to death penalty

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A longtime Nebraska senator who has fought for decades to eliminate the death penalty is trying again.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha introduced a repeal measure for the 38th time on Wednesday.

Chambers is the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska's history, having served from 1971 to 2009. He left the Legislature due to term limits but was elected again in 2013.

His measure would replace the death penalty with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. In the bill, Chambers rails against the death penalty as a failure that has harmed the state's reputation for fairness, decency and the dignity of human life.

Last year, his repeal bill was voted out of committee but killed on the floor by a legislative filibuster.

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